Preview:France vs. Australia - prediction, team news, lineups

France will be looking to end their autumn with a victory against Australia in their Quilter Nations Series clash on Saturday, November 22. 

The Bicentennial Trophy is on the line, as it has been since 1989, with the hosts currently holding it, but that is something the visitors will want to change. 

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Match preview

France bounced back from their defeat to South Africa a fortnight ago with a 34-21 victory against Fiji last weekend. 

It was closer than expected and required a huge effort from the home side to keep repelling the Flying Fijians; however, they managed to bag their first win of the campaign. 

Les Bleus return to the Stade de France this weekend, a venue where they have won 15 of their last 17 tests, the only two defeats arriving at the hands of the reigning World Champions. 

The hosts have also never lost consecutive matches at this stadium since the 2018-19 season. 

Fabian Galthie’s men have an excellent recent record against the Wallabies, winning their previous two encounters, although France have not won three in a row against this opponent since 1972-76. 

Four of the last five head-to-heads saw the match settled by just two points, an indication of how close it is when these two nations lock horns. 

Australia are on the brink of making history, but for the wrong reasons, as they are one defeat away from going winless in the autumn tour for the first time since 1958. 

The Wallabies were dismantled 46-19 by Ireland last weekend, hardly the type of form that inspires confidence. 

However, they are a team that has improved under head coach Joe Schmidt, maybe not in terms of results but in tactical discipline and defensive resilience. 

The Aussies’ previous visit to Paris against France ended in a heartbreaking 30-29 loss back in 2022, and they will be desperate to reverse that scoreline here and end their tour of the north on a high. 

Defeats to England and Italy on this tour suggest that the men from down under are heading straight for a whitewash in this series.

France Quilter Nations Series form:

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France form (all competitions):

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Australia Quilter Nations Series form:

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Australia form (all competitions):

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Team News

Coach Galthie has made three changes to his starting XV from the team that beat Fiji last week, including bringing Gael Fickou back to replace the injured Pierre-Louis Barassi. 

Despite Fickou captaining the team against the Springboks, Gregory Alldritt will skipper the French team this weekend. 

The second row pairing of Thibaud Flament and Emmanuel Meafou returns for Australia, while Charles Ollivon moves to the back row, and Romain Taofifenua is relegated to the bench. 

The home side also have 20-year-old centre Kalvin Gourgues in line to make his debut for the national team, after impressing at the World Rugby Under-20 Championship. 

Australian boss Schmidt has rung in the changes for their final test of the season, with Kalani Thomas set to make his debut against France. 

The Queensland Reds youngster will provide backup to Jake Gordon, while Ryan Lonergan sits out of the squad altogether. 

Carter Gordon hops back into the fly-half jersey after being sidelined with a quad injury that kept him out of the Irish beating, while James O'Connor is another casualty and drops out of the 23. 

France starting lineup:

15 Thomas Ramos, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Nicolas Depoortere, 12 Gael Fickou, 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10 Romain Ntamack, 9 Maxime Lucu, 8 Gregory Alldritt (captain), 7 Charles Ollivon, 6 Anthony Jelonch, 5 Emmanuel Meafou, 4 Thibaud Flament, 3 Regis Montagne, 2 Julien Marchand, 1 Jean-Baptiste Gros

Replacements:

16 Maxime Lamothe, 17 Rodrigue Neti, 18 Thomas Laclayat, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Hugo Auradou, 21 Oscar Jegou, 22 Baptiste Jauneau, 23 Kalvin Gourgues

Australia starting lineup:

15 Max Jorgensen, 14 Harry Potter, 13 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, 12 Len Ikitau, 11 Dylan Pietsch, 10 Carter Gordon, 9 Jake Gordon, 8 Harry Wilson (captain), 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Tom Hooper, 5 Nick Frost, 4 Jeremy Williams, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Billy Pollard, 1 Angus Bell

Replacements:

16 Matt Faessler, 17 Aidan Ross, 18 Allan Alaalatoa, 19 Rob Valetini, 20 Carlo Tizzano, 21 Kalani Thomas, 22 Tane Edmed, 23 Filipo Daugunu

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Head To Head

Australia have the upper hand in the historical head-to-head with 29 wins, while France have registered 21 victories and two ended all-square. 

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We say: France 27-15 Australia

 

The atmosphere that the home fans create will be too much for this up-and-coming Australian team, who are already on a record of three defeats on the bounce. 

With France winning three of the last five meetings between the two nations, the hosts are likely to end their 2025 on a high and send their fans home happy.